About 1,500 detainees, who have not received final court rulings, will be freed again under an electronic tagging scheme, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, as an alternative to institutional confinement, Minister of Justice Ahmed Zyadat announced Tuesday.
Electronic tagging is a form of surveillance that uses an electronic device affixed to a person and is usually fitted above the ankle.
Zyadat clarified that if the tag has been tampered with or the tagged person goes outside the permissible geographical area, the device will send an alert to law enforcement agencies specifying the whereabouts of that person.
He stressed that the ministry has already purchased 1,500 tags as the first phase of the scheme, which, he said, has a total capacity of 5,000 tags.
In addition to offering an alternative to institutional confinement, the minister explained that the scheme is designed to reduce prison overcrowding and detention costs and to ensure that under-trial detainees are held separately from inmates.
Source: Jordan News Agency